JAKARTA - The government is opening the opportunity to impose an exit tax on coal and nickel exports. The goal is not merely to pursue revenue, but also to give customs a way to inspect goods before ships depart and suppress under-invoicing practices and alleged smuggling.
Minister of Finance (Menkeu) Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa said that the technical discussion on the policy was underway. According to the Minister of Finance, the President also paid attention to the practice of reducing export values and the potential for smuggling commodities.
"If there is no exit tax, the customs does not have the right to inspect before sending," Purbaya told reporters at the Presidential Palace Complex, Jakarta, Wednesday, April 8.
He explained that with the exit fee, customs officers could enter earlier to inspect the cargo before the ship departed. The government, said Purbaya, wants to suppress as much as possible the practice of under-invoicing or smuggling, if it does occur.
Purbaya also touched on the business actors' margins, which were considered still quite large. In that condition, according to him, it was reasonable that commodities such as coal and nickel were subject to exit duties. However, for nickel, the final figure has not been decided because it is still being discussed with the technical team, including the level of the Reference Mineral Price or HMA and the amount of the tariff to be used.
He estimates that the discussion could be completed in one to two weeks, although there are still several things that need to be clarified. One of the things the government wants to keep is that this new levy does not actually erode state revenues through compensation or other burdens in the field.
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